I stopped by the Forest Service station in Idyllwild today and confirmed with the staff person at the desk that wilderness permits are no longer required for day hiking in the San Jacinto Wilderness. They also made a point of telling me that wilderness permits are still "available" and are "highly recommended for my safety". Interesting....

Now this is decidedly strange. Quietly but quite suddenly they no longer require permits. As long as the trails are not overrun with mobs this could be a good thing. Yes, Dan, it appears that permits are no longer required in either location. What a surprise! I wonder who made this decision and why?

I don't know. They always had to limit the people going up Vivian and the limitations have been lifted there, so my guess would be that it would be the same throughout the entire wilderness for both areas. Perhaps someone else will post.

It will be interesting to learn the reason for this change. I wonder how the USFS will be able to fulfill its responsibilities under the Wilderness Act without them, especially on high use trails like Devil Slide.

I'm with you Wildhorse. I don't love being limited by permits, but it's not about me, it's about preserving the wilderness. To suddenly go slack is both alarming and potentially dangerous to the wilderness. God help us. Global warming is generating the strongest storms ever recorded even as we speak, and I am wondering what will be left for my grandchildren and their descendants. Even more frightful, some people figuratively wave the magic wand of "future technology" to reverse human induced global climatological trends. I'm not at all convinced that such technology will be anywhere close to sufficient to cure this planet. Hoping for the best, but wishing the whole thing would have come down on the "better safe than sorry" side.

How strange, what does this mean? Perhaps it is some kind of cost-cutting measure? If there is a permit system, some employee must manage it, and they are responsible if they lose track of someone; if there is no permits system, they don't have to administer it and are not responsible for any mistakes? A sort of 'caveat emptor' system? Just a theory ...

Q: How many therapists does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: Only one, but the light bulb has to want to change ...

I asked (via facebook).... Here is what the Park Service says:Hello Tom, Day use wilderness permits are still required on both State and Federal lands. Nothing has changed including the price "FREE". Thanks and hope you have a wonderful hike at Mt. San Jacinto SP.